The independent candidates threatening to dent the UK political elite

Pedro Da Conceicao is 18 years old and hasn’t even finished high school. Yet, he’s among 459 independent candidates running for parliamentary seats in UK elections slated for July 4. In the last election, 187 independent candidates had contested.

“I saw that none of the candidates in my area aligned with my values or those of the people I know. It was then that I decided to step up and fill that gap by running myself.”

Israel’s devastating war in Gaza in which more than 37,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, weighs heavily on Pedro’s decision.

This UK election, in which 4,515 candidates are contesting, has seen a notable rise in independent politicians who are not aligned with mainstream political groups and are campaigning actively.

A new front rising

The rise in the number of independent candidates reflects a growing divide between established politicians and the people they are supposed to represent, says Andrew Feinstein, a former Labour Party member who is running independently for London’s Holborn & St Pancras area.

A number of polls show that the Labour Party is in the lead to win the elections, mainly because of widespread dissatisfaction over the economy and a cost of living crisis worsened under more than decade-long Conservative rule.

However, independent candidates can easily undermine the Labour Party’s position in the parliament. The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, has been criticised for not backing a ceasefire in Gaza.

As Labour's credibility wanes, many Muslim and other minority background Britons feel compelled to vote for independents, potentially setting off a domino effect in UK politics, experts say.

The Gaza effect

As the death toll of Palestinian civilians has mounted and aid agencies warn of a creeping famine, support for a ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza has surged among UK citizens.

A recent poll showed that more than two-thirds of British people want an immediate ceasefire.

The ruling Conservative Party has consistently reiterated its support for Israel since October 2023 when a Hamas-led attack killed 1,200 Israelis. The UK continues to arm the Israeli military with sophisticated weapons.

The Labour Party leader Starmer has also closely aligned his position with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on relations with Israel.

In November, Starmer faced backlash for saying that Israel has the "right" to completely cut power and water supply to Palestinians in the Gaza enclave. He later instructed Labour MPs to abstain from a vote on a parliamentary motion calling for a ceasefire.

However, 56 MPs, including 10 top members of his team, defied the order and voted for a ceasefire.

Claire Pearsall, a former UK Government Advisor and political analyst, says that the mainstream political parties misinterpreted the profound emotions connected to the events in Gaza due to their arrogance.

“Everyone has underestimated the depth of compassion, empathy, and anger regarding the ongoing situation and the United Kingdom's stance on Gaza,” she tells TRT World.

“I don't think anybody saw quite the effect it was going to have on politics.”

Pearsall believes that the success of several independent candidates campaigning in local elections in May with a primary focus on ending the Israeli war was an indicator of these effects.

Local councils became arenas where the independent candidates made a strong showing.

Councillor Ammar Anwar, representing Dewsbury West on Kirklees Council, resigned from the Labour Party due to its stance on Gaza.

When he announced his resignation at the local council in January, he made a powerful speech expressing disappointment at the party and particularly its leadership, which he had actively supported since his teenage years.

“For many decades, the Labour Party has been a home for the Muslim community in Britain. However, today it feels like a dictatorial regime where you're expected to conform to whatever Keir Starmer dictates,” Anwar tells TRT World.

At 3.8 million, Muslims make up 6.5 percent of the UK population.

“Bullying and undermining have become pervasive. There were threats that if you attended a Palestine protest or expressed support on social media you would face deselection. I had enough of that.”

Now serving as an independent councillor, Anwar says that, much like his departure from the party, many independent candidates are campaigning around the issue of Palestine.

“In Kirklees, the Labour Party had 39 councillors just six months ago before I resigned; now they have only 22, losing nearly 17 councillors. By May 2026, they could face complete elimination, potentially leaving fewer than five Labour councillors,” he adds.

Indistinguishable policies

Andrew Feinstein, one of the most promising independent MP candidates, is a former Labour Party member who has long been troubled by Keir Starmer’s divisive intraparty policies and resigned a few months back.

As the son of a Holocaust survivor and of South African origin, Feinstein contends that Starmer divided the party along factional lines to secure leadership, a process that began long before the 2020 leadership election following the 2019 national elections.

Since assuming leadership in 2020, Starmer has implemented a series of actions within his party, vowing to eradicate antisemitism. Yet those actions were mainly aimed at investigating Jewish members of the party who are critical of Israel.

Feinstein was investigated for his social media statements, which Labour said made “difficult the party's efforts to campaign against racism and antisemitism.”

“Starmer has expelled more Jewish members of the party during his tenure as leader than all previous leaders of the Labour Party combined. His defence is focused only on Jews who do not criticise Israel,” Feinstein tells TRT World.

“They exploit the suffering of the Holocaust to wage their petty factional battles within the party. This is an insult not only to the memory of the dozens of my mother's family who were murdered but also to the millions of people, Jewish and non-Jewish, who were murdered by the Nazis.”

"The Labour Party was a democratic socialist party. Keir Starmer has ensured that it is neither democratic nor socialist."

Feinstein believes that the two major parties in the UK, Conservative and Labour, are now offering indistinguishable agendas.

“Essentially, they offer us a future of perpetual austerity, endless wars, climate degradation, and the resulting socio-economic hardships.”

Other voices

“We are longing for a party that aligns with our values and beliefs. Perhaps, after this general election, there could emerge a new political force in Britain that truly represents the Muslim community and its voice,” adds Anwar.

He remains hopeful for the emergence of real alternatives, only if the independent movement can maintain unity against the mainstream parties.

Pedro, the 18-year-old British-Portuguese candidate, is also optimistic that the surge of independent candidates might signal a shift towards a new system with more proportional, diverse and vibrant representation in the House of Commons.

“I think we will see a massive change in voter mentality too.”